Southern Cross Fleet Yards
The Southern Cross Fleet Yards was a top-secret construction and modification facility located on Pluto in the Sol system. (D'Sefet's Cat House, the logs of Federation Installation Nine) It was built on the solar system’s smallest and most remote planet system, Pluto - Charon, partially due to the two planetary bodies unique ‘dance’ around a common Barycenter. Every effort has been made to ensure that the base’s presence on the planet remains confidential and knowledge of its existence and operation is provided on a ‘Need To Know’ basis. Description The base is constructed inside of a large meteorite crater located at the point directly below where the moon Charon is always over. The crater while very large to start with has been enlarged by Federation engineers so the opening is now 3,000 ft in diameter. Its depth is 2,500 ft. Under the lip of the crater in a ring configuration are living quarters and shops. Carved from the rock. The ship under construction is located in the exact center of the crater. Power generating station (Matter/Anti-Matter) and related facilities are located on the opposite side of the planet. The entire power-generating complex can be blown into space if an accident occurs. The base has emergency power generators in each inhabited structure. Living Quarters Are located in the northern quarter of the building ring. They are apartment style and look out on the construction pad. All inhabited areas have Terra type gravity, with the exception of the low gravity gym. There are 3 holo-deck type areas. There is a social area (bar, dancing, etc.). In the upper levels of the living complex is an open area that is used as a park. Working Areas Located in the west and east buildings are shops and warehouses used in the ship's construction. The southern building houses more construction shops, architects offices and holo-decks used for design and testing. The pad on which the ship rests and the rest of the dry dock area can have it's gravity varied every square foot from Earth strength to negative. This way assemblies can be made to float for easier access and manipulation. The crater opening is sealed from space by a Null Containment Field. The field operates in this manner. The field remains intact at all times. A object that wants to go through the field generates a matching null field. Where the fields touch they cancel each other out allowing the object to pass through. This is at the atomic level so not even hydrogen atoms can escape around the edges. The entire work area is illuminated by eight Mini-Sun Light arrays, ringing the crater, mounted near the lip. Each array looks like giant dentist examination lights stuck together and mounted on a swivel arm. The combined arrays flood the work area with light levels equivalent to the Sahara desert on a cloudless day in summer Security Systems The opening of the crater is lined with holo-projectors that give the allusion from above that the planet's surface is unchanged for billions of years (a large crater image is what is seen). The only feature on the surface is a 500 ft in diameter transparent aluminum dome that once housed a research station. The abandoned station has been converted into a yard office, docking/orbital control center and base security office. Great pains have been taken to insure the station still appears abandoned. All personnel involved with base operations have quarters here too. There is a particle scattering field around the planet to prevent transporting to and from the surface. To get to the surface a shuttlecraft must be ordered from the surface, when all security questions have been satisfied the shuttlecraft will convey the personnel to the surface. In a near by and similarly disguised crater is a planetary Phaser battery like the one on Charon only smaller. Deflector shields can be raised over the base as well (they are not in use constantly so the illusion of a deserted base can be maintained). On the surface of Charon directly above the base on Pluto there appears to be a large mountain range. In reality it is a planetary phaser bank and single man fighter base. Unless there is an attack on the shipyard there is no sign there is any installation on Charon. No communication will come from it and all power and life signs have been ‘cloaked’ (nulled out). Surrounding the planets in orbits with them is a variety of satellite arrays like one would find at the edge of a solar system. Although these satellites look like Time Beacons, Sub-Space Relays, etc. they are, in reality Herding Mines. Each mine has 5 photon torpedoes that can be either configured to detonate all at once or dispersed before detonation. The only orbit a ship is allowed to achieve is one in the orbital path of Charon, directly opposite the planet. The ship is required to match Charon's orbital velocity. This arrangement is meant to occupy the captain and crew of the ship full time. If the captain is not careful he will get a moon up the tail pipe! No ship is allowed to enter orbit with shields up or raise shields while in orbit (with the exception of a Null Field for passing through the crater opening. This field is very low power and would not protect a ship from attack). Doing this will result in an immediate attack on the offending ship. Ships built and/or modified at Southern Cross * *